A Plunge Into Fiction
by breedy95
Summary: Jade Roberts was a normal 18-year-old girl from Manchester in England. "Was" is definitely the appropriate word, because from the start of this story she will become something quite different. She finds herself stranded in the Pokémon world with nobody but a black-haired young man and his yellow... rabbit thing... for company.
1. Chapter 1

Jade was floating in nothingness. She couldn't see anything and she wasn't one hundred percent sure that she was still attached to her body. The only sense that seemed to be working was her hearing, as she heard a faint echo that sounded like it was coming from miles away. The echo sounded just as confused as she felt.

"Heeello? Hell… Hello?! Wake up!"

Jade thought, _Wait a minute… That's not just an echo. That's an actual voice. Someone is speaking to me! _

And suddenly it wasn't dark anymore. It wasn't nothing, it was a kaleidoscope of swirling colours and blurry shapes that were trying to manifest themselves.Jade found herself blinking several times, after she'd re-remembered how to blink, and as the image she was seeing started to focus, Jade could see a round face with a mop of jet black hair. It was wearing a hat and on its shoulder was some kind of yellow creature.

_A rabbit? _Jade wondered._ I've never seen a rabbit like that before… And why is it sitting on his shoulder like a parrot?_

Rudely interrupting her thoughts, the boy started shaking her shoulders and said, "Hey! Don't faint on me again now, will ya?"

Jade suddenly regained her sense of alertness. She sat up and rubbed her head, which was throbbing painfully. It was spinning uncontrollably. _I'm sure I didn't drink a single thing last night_, Jade thought to herself.

"Are you gonna speak or somethin'?" said the boy. He was getting impatient now. Upon closer inspection, Jade noticed that he wasn't a boy; he was a young man with a z-shaped scar on each of his cheeks, huge brown eyes and, most noticeably, a determined look on his face.

"Y-yes. Sorry. I'm… I'm Jade. At least, I thought I was," replied Jade. Nothing seemed right to her. She was in a foreign face with a complete stranger who was half-boy, half-man, and his over-attached yellow rabbit.

"Wow. You really are confused, aren't ya? Well, you're in luck! The nearest Pokémon Center isn't too far from here. That's where my friends are, too." The boy gave her a beaming smile and gave her the thumbs-up.

_Wow, this guy's cheesy… _said Jade. _Wait… what did he say? _"Pokémon Center? What on earth is that?"

"But… but you've gotta know what a Pokémon Center is! Man, you need help. Come here." The boy lifted her up roughly by the arm and slung it over his left shoulder. Jade planted her feet on the ground and pushed herself up. She wanted to push the boy away for being so up close and personal, but she knew he just wanted to help her, and she was in a lot more pain than she realised.

"Jeez… What's happened to me?" said Jade. She was still bleary-eyed from fainting, but as she looked around, she saw a few… odd… things. There was a purple rat with oversized front teeth scuttling around the pair of them. Overhead, there was a blue-and-orange bird, tinier than any bird she'd ever seen in England, fluttering between their heads. She thought she could heard it say a single word over and over again, but she shook her head. _Birds do not talk, Jade Roberts. You are going crazy and you mustn't believe your psycho thoughts._

But this was just the beginning for Jade Roberts and her new friend. Unbeknownst to her, she's found herself in the mysterious and exciting Pokémon world. Whether she likes it or not, she's been thrown out of her mundane life in the suburbs of Manchester, England, and propelled into the vibrant, varied and colourful Pokémon universe.

Check back next week for another instalment of this new series! Please review and subscribe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Heeey, I'm back! Thanks for the follows and the review. While my first chapter was supposed to be a kind of prologue, I appreciate the fact that the rest of my chapters need to be quite a bit longer. Hopefully this one will be better in terms of length! Enjoy :3**

**Also, just a side note: my fanfic is set in the Kalos region from the episode where Serena accompanies Ash on his journey. Basically, he only has one badge. I'm just going to see where the story takes me, but if you want anything in particular to happen, or you don't like something that I've done, feel free to let me know 'cause this plot can change anytime if anybody wants it to. I want to play around with the anime and do what I can with it to make my fic different, but I don't want to make it worse.  
>-<strong>

When they rounded the corner, the black-haired boy pointed with his free hand and said, "That's a Pokémon Center! Ever seen one of those before?"

"I… I still don't know what you're talking about," sighed Jade, exhaling in disappointment. Even though her head was starting to clear from the walk, she was still completely and utterly confused about her whereabouts.

"Hmm… Never mind." He seemed to be troubled, his brows knitting together as if he were in deep concentration. Jade couldn't help but notice how his eyes started to glimmer as he caught sight of something. She followed his gaze to find a strange group of people waving at him. The youngest among them was a little girl with an innocent smile and an energetic demeanour. A little rat-like animal was perched on her shoulder, squeaking something Jade couldn't quite make out. Next to the girl was an older boy with similar lemon-coloured hair. He had huge spectacles on and a huge backpack with gadgets sticking out of it in all directions. The sheer sight of him made Jade even more certain that she was going crazy.

And, quite different from the others, there was a beautiful young girl with a cascade of mousy brown hair flowing from underneath an oversized hat. She was holding an equally elegant fox and was regarding the duo with a little more suspicion than the others. Jade wondered what was bothering her.

"Hey, everyone!" said the boy who had helped her. Jade glanced to her side and could see how much happier he seemed now that he was in their company. Jade broke free of his support and stood upright, feeling like she should reclaim her sense of dignity if she was about to meet more new people.

"Ash!" said the little girl, skipping up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Who's your new friend?"

"This is…" began Ash, glancing at Jade.

"I'm Jade. Jade Roberts. I would tell you where I'm from, but I don't think you'd have ever heard of it," said Jade. She shook the little girl's hand and received a genuine smile in return. "And who are you?"

"Dedenne!" The little girl's mouse-like creature interrupted and twitched its whiskers curiously, looking up at Jade with a goofy smile and bright black eyes that revealed an intelligence Jade had never seen in an animal before.

"Well, that's Dedenne, and I'm Bonnie! This here's my brother, Clemont, and our new friend Serena is with us now, too," explained Bonnie so quickly that Jade could hardly keep track of the names. "And I'm sure you know who Ash and Pikachu are. They're the greatest battle team in the Kalos region!"

_Dedenne, Bonnie, Clemont, Serena, Ash, Pikachu… and Kalos. Those are some weird names. _Luckily, though, Jade's initial confusion had worn off and she was willing to learn everything she could about this place. Her thoughts brought her back to the present. _For now I have to be polite and get to know these people; everything else will follow after._

"Hi, everyone," said Jade, smiling for the first time since she'd arrived in this crazy place. "I'm Jade, and Ash found me on the ground somewhere out there. I don't know how I got there and I don't even know what a Pokémon Center is-"

"Whaaaat?" exclaimed the boy whose name must be Clemont. He approached her and she noticed his spectacles flash as if they were in as much shock as their wearer. "But… that means you've never heard of Pokémon before. Right?"

"…Right," Jade sighed. She glanced at Serena, the girl wearing the hat. She still hadn't spoken; she was simply gazing at Jade with a strange air of curiosity.

"Allow me to explain," said Clemont. He cleared his throat melodramatically and thumped his chest. "You have found yourself in the Kalos region, a wonderful and varied part of the Pokémon world. In this land live Pokémon, like Dedenne and Pikachu-" Clemont gestured to the orange mouse and Ash's yellow friend respectively, "-that serve as our friends and partners. Some people play with Pokémon as though they were pets, others participate in contests that show off their Pokémon's beauty and skill, and trainers like Ash and I battle with them. That's like getting Pokémon to express their strength and demonstrate the bonds that they have with their Trainers through attacks and strategies. See, it's hard for me to explain what a wonderful thing that Pokémon are, because they're whatever you want them to be. That's the best thing about them."

For the first time, Jade felt a sense of warmth and a confusing sense of belonging in this new place, just from hearing about the role that Pokémon have in people's lives. She smiled as she listened to Clemont's passionate and detailed explanation about creatures that seemed to be companions to humans. She looked at Dedenne and Pikachu with a new sense of admiration and affection. Her hand reached out to pet Dedenne, and it squeaked its name again and again.

"They seem amazing," Jade said, so quietly that she didn't know whether any of them could hear her. She looked up at Clemont and said, "You said that you and Ash are Trainers. And Trainers battle. But what's a battle actually like?"

"Well, Clemont? What do you say we show Jade what battling is all about?" said Ash next to her, pumping his fist into the air with a childlike vigour.

Clemont smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I was hoping you might say that, Ash! Come this way, Jade!"

Jade followed her new group of friends outside, wondering what kind of things she would be seeing in only a few moments' time. The door leading out of the Pokémon Center took them to a dusty courtyard which had line markings on the ground. Jade thought it looked a little like a netball court from back home, and she decided this must be where Trainers could "battle" each other. She stood at the side of the courtyard with Bonnie, Serena and Dedenne, and Ash and Pikachu sprinted over to the left-hand side of the battlefield. Clemont seemed a bit calmer, but he was walking with a spring in his step to the opposite side, with a red-and-white ball in his hand.

Bonnie caught Jade looking at the object and said, as if reading her thoughts, "That's a PokéBall. Most Pokémon live inside of them. It's only special Pokémon like Dedenne and Pikachu that don't like to be kept in them. Anyway, you'll see for yourself when my big brother summons his Pokémon!"

Jade couldn't help but smile affectionately at her new tour guide. Even though Bonnie wasn't participating in the battle, she still spoke with a tremendous amount of energy and passion, as though she were really feeling the excitement of the two Trainers at the start of their match. Jade had to admit, she felt it too. It seemed that everyone had gained a feeling of boundless enthusiasm since Ash had called for the battle. Everyone apart from Serena.

Jade glanced at her curiously. She was stood about a metre away from her and Bonnie, and had her face turned away towards Ash. Jade felt like she should break the ice somehow, but maybe now wasn't the time.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when she heard Ash cry, "You're up, Pikachu! I choose you!"

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and landed on the sandy ground in front of him on all fours. Jade couldn't decide what was more impressive; its impeccable speed or the grace with which it moved.

"Let's go, Bunnelby! We've done this once before, and we can do it again!" shouted Clemont, tossing his PokéBall into the air. It opened and a rabbit-type Pokémon emerged from a cluster of red light. The PokéBall flew back into Clemont's hand as though it had a mind of its own and he issued his first order to his Bunnelby. "Let's show Serena what the almighty Dig move looks like!"

"Bunnelby!" Bunnelby jumped in the air and drilled into the ground with its fast-moving ears. Pikachu looked around, a little lost and confused.

"Pikachu, we have to dodge that attack! Agility!" Pikachu started running around the battlefield, leaving a trail of light in its path. It moved so quickly that it became a blur, but Bunnelby surfaced from the ground and collided with it. Pikachu flew through the air but landed on the ground nearby, panting heavily and looking worn out from the attack.

"Alright, Bunnelby! Good hit! Now use your Tackle attack!" ordered Clemont, pumping his fist into the air.

"Pikachu! Stop it right in its tracks with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped into the air and closed its eyes before shouting, "Pikaaaachuuuuu!" An immense bolt of lightning was produced by Pikachu and hit Bunnelby, shocking its whole body from top to bottom. Bunnelby fell to the ground. This time it hadn't touched Pikachu.  
>"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash grinned, clenching his fist triumphantly. "That's how we do it!"<p>

"Not so fast, Ash! We've got more powerful attacks than that! Use Take Down, Bunnelby!" Bunnelby ran towards Pikachu with impressive agility, a determined look on its face.

_Oh no! How is Ash gonna avoid that attack? _thought Jade, convinced that they would be knocked out by this move. She looked at Ash and was surprised to see that he had a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

"Pikachu. It's time for Double Team!" cried Ash, and almost instantly Pikachu started... developing copies of itself. Just like that. There weren't just a few, there were a couple of dozen by the time the attack had reached its limit. Jade was wide-eyed with shock at what was happening. She was expecting Pokémon to be able to evade attacks, but not in such an impassable way!

It was too late for Bunnelby to be able to adapt its attack. It ran straight for a false Pikachu copy and carried on running until it hit the metal fence. A cloud of dust rose up from the ground and enveloped Bunnelby, and when the smoke cleared everyone could see that it had fainted.

Before Jade could express her distress at this, Bonnie patted her on the arm and said, "Don't worry. That means that basically, Ash has won the battle! That's how a Pokémon admits defeat! Well done, Ash!"

Jade looked at Ash. He was cuddling his Pikachu with the kind of intensity and affection that you only hug your best friends with. Her heart melted. Win or lose, this was what Pokémon battles were really about.

After watching both Trainers excitedly recall the events of the battle, Jade heard Bonnie say, "Hey, Serena, are you okay? You've been quiet for hours now, even during the battle."

Even though it was Bonnie who had spoken, Serena turned around and looked Jade in the eyes with an unmistakeable and indescribable coldness. She didn't say anything; she simply walked back into the Pokémon Center without a word.

"But… Serena! Wait!" cried Bonnie, waving her arms frantically.

Jade touched her gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Bonnie. It's not you. She's… I don't know why, but it's me she's got a problem with."

**-END OF CHAPTER-**

**So, that wasn't especially long, but it was long**_**er **_**and that's definitely a start. I hope you enjoyed my description of the battle and it wasn't too long. Please give me your feedback, it'll really help improve my fic! Thanks a lot ^_^****HHHHee**


	3. Chapter 3

**Firstly, I am **_**so **_**sorry for not posting for, well, months. Originally it was going to be a much more regular thing but then I had exams and yeah. They're over now so I'll be able to work harder on this story, please bear with me :) So, here we go!**

"Wakey wakey! C'mon Jade, it's time to get up already!"

"Wh…wha-?" Jade blinked away her sleep and shielded her eyes from the harsh sunlight beaming into her room. No sunlight could ever have been as bright as Ash's cheerful grin as he stood over her head, almost bouncing up and down with excitement. "Ash, why are we getting up already?"

"Because!" shouted Ash, twisting his cap around so that he looked ready for action. "Because this is the day you get your first Pokémon! If you wanna be a Trainer, you gotta have a Pokémon, you see?"

"Oh yeah? And how do you know I want to be a Trainer?" Jade found herself asking the question and realising the answer at the same time. Her heart began to thud when she recalled the invigoration she felt yesterday, an unexpected enthusiasm for battling so strong that she felt it rushing through her veins.

Ash laughed mischievously when he saw her jaw drop. "Your face kinda gives it away, my friend! Now come on!"

He yanked her arm and pulled her up so hard that she practically fell into him. Their faces nearly touched and they found their eyes interlocking for a few seconds. Jade found herself blushing, but the blush quickly evolved into a scowl and she pushed Ash away. "I can get myself out of bed, thank you very much! Hmph!"

She left the room as quickly as possible and marched down the stairs, determined to escape the embarrassing moment, when all of a sudden she bumped into a familiar mousy brown-haired girl.

"S-Serena!" Jade exclaimed, patting her arm as a way of apology. "I didn't see you there, sorry."

"Just watch it next time, okay?" Serena replied, returning Jade's frantic apology with a cool, calm gaze. She sauntered off upstairs and Jade continued down the stairwell.

_Oh dear… This hasn't been a very smooth start to the day. But who cares? I'm getting my first Pokémon today!_

"So… you're finally ready?" asked Ash with a boyish smirk when Jade left the Pokémon Center.

Jade sighed and flashed him a smile. They started walking towards Professor Sycamore's lab with identical springs in their step.

"Ash?" Jade said cautiously after they had walked for a couple of minutes in silence.

"Mm?" he replied, glancing at her and then focusing on the path again.

"Does Serena always act like that? I mean, is she always that quiet?" asked Jade.

Ash stiffened and slowed down. Clearly her recent behaviour had been on his mind too, and he'd been afraid to address it so far.

"No…" he replied. He frowned as if he were trying to solve an impossible problem. "I don't get it. She won't talk to me. Whenever I try and get it out of her, she just pretends to be happy again and changes the subject. But you know, Jade, she's gonna have to start being nice to you. Because you're a part of our team and I'm not the only one who wants you to travel with us. I hope Serena doesn't put you off that." He clenched his fist and somehow that slight action made Jade believe he truly meant it. She didn't know what else to do but smile at this thoughtful boy and all of the doubt and confusion overshadowing his good intentions.

Ash smiled back and they continued walking.

"Look!" said Jade, pointing at a large white facility in the distance. A wind turbine was spinning relentlessly behind it and steam was billowing out of a cylindrical chimney at the top of the building. "So that's where I'm gonna meet my first Pokémon?!"

Ash nodded and they both broke into a run at the same time.

"Welcome, you two!" said Professor Sycamore, shaking hands with Jade. "I'm Professor Sycamore, and today I'm going to help you make a start on your Pokémon adventure. So you'll be travelling with young Ash and Pikachu, will you?"

"Yeah!" shouted Jade, shaking his hand vigorously and looking around. "So where are the Pokémon?"

"Hahaha, you are enthusiastic, aren't you, Jade? Well, Ash wouldn't have told me all about you and brought you here if you weren't!"

Jade glanced at Ash gratefully and saw him smiling sheepishly and rubbing his neck, embarrassed.

"Now, come, Jade. I'll show you your potential new friends." With a wave of his hand, Professor Sycamore disappeared into the next room. Ash and Jade followed and found themselves in a plain-looking white room. There was a table in the middle where three Pokémon were sitting, with an innocent and playful look in their eyes.

"What?!" exclaimed Ash. "Where's Froakie? And Chespin? What about Fennekin, too? These Pokémon are from Kanto!"

"That's right, Ash," nodded Sycamore, grinning. "You see, Jade, I've already given away all of the Kalos Starters I could get hold of, but you do get to choose between these three fine Pokémon. Meet Bulbasaur, the Grass-type Pokémon, Squirtle the Water-type and Charmander the Fire-type."

"Awww, they're so cute!" squealed Jade. She ran up to the table and petted each of the Pokémon. She knelt down and spoke to them in a high-pitched voice. They all smiled sweetly, clearly trying to win Jade over so that she'd choose them. After a minute or two of pondering, Jade said, "Alright then, it's decided. Charmander, I choose you!"

Charmander shouted, "Char!" and leapt into her arms, rubbing its face against her chest thankfully.

"Great choice, Jade! What do you think, Ash Ketchum?"

"I don't think she could have made a better choice," smiled Ash, putting his thumb up. "I had a Charmander once, and now it's evolved… But I won't spoil that part."

"Pokémon… evolve? Is that like Charles Darwin's theory of evolution?" asked Jade, blinking and feeling stupid all over again.

"I don't know what that is, but there may be something like it in your world," replied Sycamore. "Pokémon evolve into stronger forms of themselves. Some of them only change shape slightly, and for some of them it's difficult to believe that they're the same Pokémon after evolution! You'll see for yourself one day. Pokémon evolve when they form strong bonds of trust and friendship with their Trainers, but at the moment we're investigating a new kind of Evolution called Mega Evolution. That involves an extra-strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon, but mythical stones also have something to do with it. Maybe you and Ash will help us to find out more about them."

"Science is amazing!" cried Ash, pumping his fist into the air.

"It sure is. Looks like there are a lot of fascinating things for me to learn," grinned Jade. "So, Ash, I'm officially a Trainer now!"

"Yes, you are, Jade, but before you leave, take some of these," said Sycamore, passing her a few PokéBalls and Potions. "Your Charmander will go inside one of those PokéBalls, and you can use the others to catch Pokémon of your own in the wild."

"Great!" replied Jade, taking the items and stuffing them into a backpack that Nurse Joy had given to her. For now, she wanted to hold Charmander and spend time with it.

"Okay, you two, make sure you and the others keep in touch and I wish you the best of luck with your journey!" said Sycamore. He walked them to the door and waved them off. After he'd closed and locked the door, he leaned with his back against it and sighed. "I wonder if Ash will find the answer to his questions on this journey."

That night, Serena, Jade, Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and some of their Pokémon were sitting at a picnic table outside the Pokémon Center. The sun was setting and they were tucking in to a bountiful picnic consisting of sandwiches, biscuits, pizza and fruit. Everything was going well, and Serena had even smiled and spoken a few words now and again. Spirits were high and everyone was excited for the coming morning, where they would start travelling to Cyllage City.

The Pokémon were on the floor, eating out of bowls. When Charmander had finished its share, it walked over to Fennekin and seemed to be asking something. Fennekin looked suspicious at first, but then smiled and stood to the side to share its food. They both ate happily and when they'd finished, they chased each other around the table, giggling and rolling over.

Jade smiled. She didn't know why and she couldn't explain it, but whenever her new little buddy was happy or in a good mood, she felt herself glowing with happiness herself.

_I suppose this is what they mean when they talk about the bond between people and Pokémon_, thought Jade.

She lifted her eyes and almost gasped aloud when she caught Serena glaring at her yet again.

_What is her problem? _thought Jade, all of the joy she felt just a few moments ago slowly pouring out of her and being replaced by confusion.

"Come on, Fennekin, we're getting an early night," declared Serena. Fennekin stopped laughing and looked up as Serena scooped it up and whisked it off to bed.

"I just don't GET IT!" shouted Ash, banging his fist on the table and making everyone jump. "You came all the way from another world to Kalos, everything and everyone is new to you and all she can do is act like a complete moron! That's it, I'm gonna find out what the hell has gotten into her."

Ash stormed off after Serena, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder at the last minute and shouting "Pika pika!"

Bonnie, Clemont and Jade sat in stunned silence, taking in everything that had just happened.

_What have I done? _thought Jade, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. _I only arrived in this world yesterday and all I ever wanted to do was make friends, but somehow I'm ruining everything and making everyone mad. I don't understand._

-

**END OF CHAPTER**

**So, Serena's problem with Jade really is getting out of hand now. It's becoming so obvious that even Ash knows what's going on, and those who watch the anime know how oblivious he normally is! Maybe, just **_**maybe**_**, in the next chapter Serena will give away why she hates Jade so much.**

**Thank you so much for your feedback on my first ever fanfic, I'll try my hardest to keep it up.**


	4. Chapter 4

Serena heard Ash's strong fists hammering the door.

"Open up!" he shouted. "Serena, you can't hide in there forever! You gotta let me in sometime."

"What do you want, Ash?" asked Serena. "I told you I want an early night, and you're disturbing me."

"You know what I want," replied Ash, sounding calmer now that he'd finally got a response. "I just want an explanation. Because I'm really confused right now, Serena, and you're not talking to me like you used to when we were kids. What's so different now?"

Serena gasped. _So much is different now, Ash._

But instead of saying that, she opened the door and let him in. Ash's face was red and his jaw was set into a grave expression. He'd clearly worked himself up a lot over Serena's behaviour.

"Come in," she said. He sat on the bed and folded his arms, looking at the wall and breathing heavily.

Serena sat on her desk chair opposite him and faced him. "So, Ash, what is it that's bothering you?" She was dreading whatever questions he wanted to fire at her. She just didn't know how to explain it to him without upsetting him.

"When you first joined us on our journey through Kalos, you were so sweet and positive," Ash replied. He took his cap off and messed around with it in his hands, not making eye contact. "You were like that for so long, so I know you're a lovely person and I know why I chose to make friends with you as a child, too. But ever since Jade got here, you've just been acting really weird. Like, when you're on your own with me you're fine but as soon as she's in our presence, you change and become this cold, angry person that you're not. And I know you're not like that, Serena. I just wanna know what it is about Jade that bothers you so much."

There was a long silence hanging in the air between them, a silence that Serena wanted to smother with all of her might. She didn't want to cause Ash so much grief and confusion, she didn't want to ruin his newfound friendship, she just wanted-

"I just wanted to protect you," she said. Ash finally made eye contact with her, refusing to break it now that she had uttered those words. They didn't show a single trace of acceptance or understanding. No, it was clear that he wanted her to elaborate.

"Ash, you know I've always cared for you. Ever since we were kids. And when I found out you were travelling through this region, I wanted to find you so badly. None of your friends know what you've been through. As soon as summer camp ended, your life turned around and your mum and I are the only people that know. I know your darkest secrets and the story of your past, and because of that I just feel like I have to look after you, you know."

The silence was long and deafening. Ash put his hat back on and bowed his head. He sniffed and wiped his eyes, trying to hide how much her words had affected him.

"That… My past… It has got _nothing _to do with Jade."

He stood up and walked out. He closed the door slowly and gently behind him and Serena barely heard his footsteps as he walked down the hall towards his room.

_Oh, Ash… _thought Serena, wringing her hands and biting her lip worriedly. _This could have everything to do with Jade._

Jade couldn't sleep. It had been an exciting day and she was still thrilled about having her first Pokemon and being invited on an adventure with Ash and his pals. She sat up reading under the warm glow of Charmander's tail for a while, but her attention was distracted by a splashing sound coming from outside her window.

"What's that, Charmander?" thought Jade out loud, petting her fire salamander's head and going to the window to investigate. Although it was dark outside, the cold moonlight betrayed a solitary figure sitting on a bridge and throwing rocks into the still river below him. "Is that… Ash?"

Jade's head buzzed with confusion. What was he doing awake at this time? And why was he sitting like that, with his shoulders slumped and his head hung as though he'd given up? Even though Jade hadn't known Ash for long, her experience of his optimistic and energetic character led her to believe that something was very, very wrong.

Jade pulled on her shoes hurriedly and told Charmander to wait inside. She ran down the stairs and approached Ash's silhouette. He didn't even turn around to see who was there. As she got close, she heard him coldly say, "Go away."

Jade stopped and gasped. She'd never heard him speak so lifelessly. He sounded almost like Serena did whenever she spoke to Jade, but with even less passion.

"Ash."

Ash turned around and looked her full in the face. Tears stained his cheeks and his huge brown eyes were clouded over, betraying his grief. He took his hat off and tried to fake a smile. But his smile wasn't the same as before; it didn't reach his eyes, it wasn't Ash's special smile filled with hope and ambition. Jade walked up to him and swung her legs over the handrail of the bridge to sit next to him. They sat in a heavy silence for a couple of minutes, each person wondering if the other would be the first to speak.

"What are you doing out here, Ash?" asked Jade. She placed a supportive hand on his arm and he didn't flinch. "I saw you from my bedroom window and I could tell something was up."

Ash laughed a hollow, empty laugh and tried to smile again. Instead he found himself crying and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand self-consciously. He started throwing small rocks into the water again.

"You don't have to pretend, you know," said Jade. "I've not known you for long, not nearly as long as the other people you're travelling with, but I am here for you Ash, and I mean that."

He still refused to make eye contact with her. His eyes were now fixated on some invisible object in the water below. After a minute or so of silence, he said, "Why do you care?"

"What do you mean, why do I care? I'm your-"

"He never did."

Ash hurled another stone into the water, bigger than the last one.

"I've never been able to do that, you know," he said. "Skip stones. My… dad took me to the beach a few times and tried to teach me, but I can never even find the right stones, let alone use the whole skipping technique thing."

"Well… All you've gotta do is find a really round one, but it can't be too round because it has to be flat, too," said Jade, deciding that the best way to be there for him was to distract him. She searched the ground for the perfect stone for the job. She found a large, ovular pebble that had just the right degree of roundness and turned it over in her hands as she continued. "Also, it helps if you're standing up. You lean this foot forward, you twist your body to prepare for the skipping of the stone, and then you just…"

She let the stone glide across the air and it skipped beautifully across the water. One, two, three, f-

"Aww, damn! I used to be a lot better than that," chuckled Jade. "I think it's just because I've not practised for so long, I mean-"

She stopped when she made eye contact with Ash. He was just staring at her with that familiar, childish grin on his face, the former sorrow in his deep brown eyes replaced with joy. She found herself blushing and looked away, not sure what to make of the sudden eye contact.

"I was listening, you know," replied Ash. He stood up and wiped his gravelly hands on his shorts. "You didn't have to stop. I like hearing you talk, even if you feel like you're being boring. You make me… better."

He smiled again and this time, the warmth rushing through Jade's entire being made her believe that this time he meant it. She reached her arms out for a hug and they embraced.

"Pika pika!" said Pikachu, sitting on the floor and reaching its arms up to Jade.

Jade chuckled and scooped Pikachu up from the ground. "I didn't mean to leave you out, Pikachu!" She nuzzled Pikachu lovingly and before Ash could warn her, she felt a sharp jolt of electricity coursing through her veins. She dropped Pikachu as soon as she could move her body again and Ash was laughing loudly, clutching his stomach.

"Aww man, Jade, that was a classic! Sorry about that!" Ash managed to splutter out. He put his hat back on and grinned at her. She couldn't help but grin back. "Anyway, isn't it like two a.m.? We'd better get some sleep, since tomorrow we're hoping to get to Cyllage City."

"Right," nodded Jade, still trying to get over the electric shock. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ash."

He smiled and went back into the building. "Laters!"

Jade looked at her watch. It was now three thirty and she was only just beginning to feel tired. She'd been awake for another hour and a half, just thinking about what had happened. Everytime her head hit the pillow each night, her head buzzed with more and more questions. Whereas earlier the biggest mystery was why Serena seemed to hate her, Jade found the issue of Ash's despair and his remark about his dad more important. Serena's apparent hatred could wait, but Jade couldn't help but wonder what had happened to his dad, and if that was why he was upset.

Jade sighed and leant back into her pillow, suddenly feeling exhausted. _Maybe I'll never know the answer. _

Jade fell asleep in the depth of her own thoughts, the last words she remembered before her dreams resounding in her head like a distant echo… _You make me better…_

Jade would later come to blame her overthinking for the confusing dream that plagued her that night. Her vision was blurry, but it seemed that she was lying down and looking up at a brown-haired figure. He was talking to her, but the words didn't mean much.

_Am I drugged or something? _she thought.

"Teleportation device… Years of research… Pokemon..."

The man's sentence was broken and his words were difficult to string together in Jade's mind. She was distracted by a harsh, blinding light unlike any she had seen before. She tried to shield her eyes but it didn't work.

She screamed and sat bolt upright. She was back in the real world, breathing heavily with a film of sweat on her forehead. Charmander patted her arm and she smiled.

_It was just a dream_, she thought and flopped back onto her pillow.

**Or was it just a dream? ;) Oooh! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much. I hope you're still enjoying my story. Apologies if the story is moving too quickly and I know the chapters are short, this is my first fanfic so I'm still learning. Thanks a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Jade and Charmander were sitting in the cafeteria by themselves, tucking in to a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and beans.

"They even have stuff like this in my world, Charmander!" said Jade through a mouthful of egg.

"Charmander Char!" Charmander smiled, his flame burning bright with happiness as he devoured his meal.

"Good morning, Jade!"

Jade turned around and saw Clemont waving. Bonnie ran up to Jade and hugged her.

"Morning, Bonnie! Good morning, Clemont! Did you both sleep okay?"

"We did, thank you!" said Bonnie sunnily. She squeezed Dedenne and said, "Me and Dedenne cuddled all night and he didn't shock me once!"

Jade laughed and pushed her plate away, having finished her food. "That's good news! Where are Ash and Serena?"

"Oh, they're waiting outside," replied Clemont. He gestured to the main entrance of the building. "Those two get so excited when we're travelling to a new place that they don't even want breakfast."

Jade returned Charmander to its PokéBall and they walked out to meet the others.

"Hey, Jade!" said Ash when they had left the building. He was definitely back to normal; in fact, he seemed to be larger than life. He was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Hi! Wow, Ash, you're full of life…" remarked Jade with a laugh.

"Oh, don't worry. He always gets like this when we're travelling to a city with a Gym Leader."

Jade almost audibly gasped when she saw Serena talking to her with a polite smile on her face. She just about managed to force a smile back and hoped it didn't look too strained. Jade was stunned into an uncomfortable silence as she tried to get her head around why Serena was being nice to her, but it was abruptly interrupted by Ash.

"Come ooooon!" said Ash. "If we start walking now, we'll get there before the Gym closes!"

They all started walking obediently, each of them with a spring in their steps. Ash was in front with Bonnie and Clemont closely behind him, and Jade found herself walking at the back of the group next to Serena.

She leaned close to Jade and said, "Look, I'm sorry for how I've been. I know you've noticed, and me being mean to you has upset Ash, too. He's been through a lot and since you're from some unknown world, I thought you'd come to hurt him. But I can see that you're a good friend to him. I heard your conversation on the bridge last night and it's obvious to me that you truly care for him. So, yeah. I really am sorry and I hope we can be friends now, too."

Jade could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her heart soared now that the weight of Serena's grudge had been lifted. Not only did she finally have an answer for why Serena had been so horrible to her, but she had also got an apology from Serena herself! This time, her smile felt completely natural and she found herself accepting the apology before she could even think about it.

"It's okay. I don't know what went on last night, but he was upset, and if he really is sad about something deep down, then you had good reason to look out for him. I don't know how I got here, so I can understand why it's difficult for others to understand. Apart from my weird experience of being teleported here, I'm a completely normal girl, and I promise I bring him no harm."

"That's fine, then!" said Serena happily. They both smiled at each other and Serena ran to catch up with Ash. She said something to him that made him turn around and beam at Jade. Jade blushed and waved.

"The people here are so nice, Charmander," said Jade. Even though Charmander was in its PokéBall, she knew it could hear her. "I wish they were more like this back home."

Jade cast her mind back to the world from which she had come. At primary school, she had been bullied by her peers for the spelling bees she had took part in, and the fact that even at the age of seven, she had the brain of a high school student. Even when she was at high school, she was called a geek and a loser just for throwing herself into her studies and getting full marks in every science class that she took. She had learnt not to care and that making friends meant pain and loneliness, so had banished the idea of friendship from her mind until she had arrived in this world. She had no idea how she had got here, but now that she was here, she wasn't sure if she could ever bring herself to leave.

Later that day, after the group had been walking for about six hours with a few breaks, Ash finally declared, "Cyllage City!"

They reached the peak of a rocky hill and there it was. They found themselves overlooking a small city, with a series of streets criss-crossing each other that housed apartment blocks, shops and what looked like a decent-sized Pokémon Center. The whole city was encircled by a rocky cliff face, and at the opposite side of the cliff to Jade and the others, there was a huge stone archway and a sign that had to be for the Gym.

"I can see the Gym already, Ash!" said Serena, pointing to it in the distance. "Let me guess… You wanna go there straightaway?"

"Yeah, of course!" said Ash enthusiastically, pumping his fist into the air in his typical fashion. "You ready to see a _real _Pokémon battle, Jade?"

"Of course I am!" said Jade, laughing and feeling Ash's optimism and joy seep into her own mood, making her grin from ear to ear almost as much as him. "We've just got a little further to walk!"

As they walked along with newfound excitement, Jade found herself thinking about Gym battles.

"In my world, there's nothing to compare Gym battles with," said Jade, thinking out loud. Clemont, Serena and Ash glanced at her and waited for her to continue, and Bonnie's eyes glistened with a thousand questions. "I'd say the global passion is football where I come from. It's pretty boring… It's basically watching a team of men kick a ball around a muddy field."

"We know what football is, silly!" said Bonnie, chuckling. "But you're right, it is boring. It's nothing like Pokémon battles."

"Charmander Char!" said Charmander in agreement.

Jade couldn't help but smile. Now that she'd stumbled across this weird and wonderful world, where some things were the same yet other things were so different, she didn't know what she'd do without it. She didn't know what she'd do without her new friends, who treated her better than she'd ever been treated even by her old schoolmates, and she certainly couldn't imagine a world without the amazing creatures called Pokémon. And, it had to be said, nobody from Earth had quite the same level of vigour and boundless enthusiasm as Ash Ketchum.

"I like being here," said Jade.

Everyone smiled, and the silence that followed was special and meaningful.

"We're here!" shouted Bonnie and Ash in unison. They broke into a run and Clemont, Serena and Jade followed behind them.

Ash ran through the open doors and shouted, "I've come to challenge Cyllage City Gym! I am Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

The others caught up and they all went inside. Nobody had answered Ash's call so they walked deeper into the building. So far, all they could see was the small stone corridor that they were walking in. Torches lined the corridor on either side, but they couldn't see how far the corridor went on in the torchlight.

"It's a little bit… scary," said Bonnie. Serena whimpered in agreement, but they carried on.

Eventually, just as Jade was about to declare that the passage would never end, they found themselves coming closer to a window of light. When they reached the room, they came face-to-face with a huge cliff, about twice as high as the one that surrounded Cyllage City. It wasn't a real one, though; it had rock-climbing stones of different shapes and colours embedded into it. They looked up and saw a tall man with black hair and dark clothes standing at the top, throwing a PokéBall into the air repeatedly and smirking. In his hair were rocks identical to those that covered the rock-climbing cliff.

"So, you've come to challenge me, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town?"

Everyone gasped, wondering how on earth he had heard Ash when they first entered the building.

"Yep, that's me!" said Ash, thumping his chest and smiling defiantly. "Now come down here and battle me, Grant!"

"Well, you have been doing your research. You already know my name," said Grant, smirking again as he looked down at the group. "It's not my job to come down there. If you want to battle me, you have to prove yourselves to me in another way. I want you to climb up the rock wall, and if you manage it, you can battle me."

"Alright!" said Ash. He ran up to the wall and looked from rock to rock, wondering which path to take.

_I'm glad he's taking caution, _thought Jade, biting her thumb nervously. _I can't believe he's not even got a harness!_

"Your friends may take the elevator," said Grant, and true enough, there was an elevator built into the rock face. Bonnie, Clemont and Serena walked into it and gestured for Jade to follow but she shook her head.

"I'm gonna climb the wall with Ash!" said Jade.

They went up in the elevator to wait for Ash and Jade. Ash turned around and smiled warmly.

"Thanks, Jade. You really didn't have to… I'm the challenger, and this is just something I've gotta do."

"I'm your friend, Ash, and this looks really hard, so I want to support you," said Jade, trying not to stammer in fear. She'd never been a sporty person, so climbing eighty-foot rock walls was certainly not her forté.

Jade returned Charmander to its PokéBall. "Where's Pikachu?"

"Pikachu went up in the elevator," replied Ash, turning his cap around so that it was back-to-front. "He needs to save his energy for the battle."

Jade nodded and reached up for the first rock.

"Whoops!" said Ash, blushing as his hand made contact with hers. "Looks like we both went for the same one."

Jade blushed and found herself not knowing what to say. She shook off the awkwardness and got a firm footing. Ash did the same, and after a few more minutes they were over halfway up the wall. They were at the same height, and they were both puffing and panting.

"We're… nearly there!" gasped Ash. "Time to… Get serious…"

Jade gasped when she realised that his climbing was speeding up. He seemed much surer of his movements now, and he was about ten feet further up than her in no time. Jade felt embarrassed and tried to get moving more quickly with.

_He's reached the top now… Damn… _thought Jade, forcing her protesting muscles to keep pushing onwards. She was just a few feet from the top now and everyone was looking down at her. She rushed herself, hating the attention, and as she reached out for the top ledge of the wall she narrowly missed it and her foot slipped. She felt herself falling, and her hands scrambled wildly for some kind of grip on the wall. She closed her eyes as she fell and just as she thought it was the end, a hand grabbed her firmly. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town hanging upside-down, his brown eyes wide with fear.

She felt herself slowly being lifted and finally, she reached the top ledge.

"Th-thank you, Ash," said Jade. She couldn't get any more words out and she let herself sprawl out on the cold ground, trying to slow her breathing down and stop her head from spinning.

"You're welcome, Jade," Ash replied, smiling again now. "Although I think you have Chespin to thank!"

"Ches! Chespin Chespin!" said Chespin, his vines receding back into his surprisingly small body.

Jade patted Chespin in thanks. Then, remembering suddenly where she was, she brought herself to her feet and said, "Ash! Your Gym battle!"

"That's right, Ash," said Grant, clutching his PokéBall. "It's time for your Gym battle, now that we can confirm we've had no casualties. Please make your way onto the battlefield. Your friends can watch from the seats on the sidelines."

Jade gazed at the aforementioned battlefield in sheer awe. It resembled a rocky mountain floor, with boulders and huge jagged rocks dotting the arena. The only ground that appeared to be even was the two semi-circles on either side, where each Trainer stood. Jade assumed that the tall, lean man standing on a high rock on the other side of the arena was the battle judge, and this was confirmed shortly afterwards by the following announcement.

"The battle between Grant, the Cyllage City Gym Leader, and the challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, will now begin, with each Trainer using only two Pokémon. Let the battle… begin!"

**Ooooh, who will win? Well, at least the chapters are getting longer. I'm on holiday in a couple of days, so even though I'm gonna try to post another chapter before then, there's no guarantee. I'll do my best, but I really hope you're still enjoying the story! Also, a reviewer a while ago asked how old Jade is. Sorry for only just addressing the question, but she's roughly the same age as the group (obviously older than Bonnie). Thanks to the people who review this fanfiction regularly, it really motivates me to be quicker with my chapter updates and I have had some constructive criticism too which is great :D Until next time!**_eHe's reas_


	6. Chapter 6

**I know this battle has already happened in the anim****e but I'm giving Grant different Pokémon and making the battle run a bit differently, because I suppose there's no point in writing a Fanfiction that goes exactly the same as the show. Just thought I'd put that out there before anyone else does :P Enjoy the chapter, and let me know if the battle is too long or too short!**

"Pikachu, you're up first, buddy!" shouted Ash, sending Pikachu forth into the arena.

"Pika!"

"He chose _Pikachu_?" said Clemont sceptically. His jaw hung open and his eyes were wide with shock. "I don't know if that's such a good move… It depends if Grant's Rock-types are also of the Ground-type, but personally, I would have chosen-"

"Clemont!" Serena admonished him. "Is this Ash's battle or yours? Just believe in him. He knows what he's doing."

That was enough to shut Clemont up, but he still didn't look happy. Jade's attention was brought back to the Gym battle when Grant brought out his first Pokémon.

"Amaura, I choose you! This should be an interesting round, Ash."

The Pokémon that Grant had chosen made the girls gasp in awe. It was light blue with vanilla-coloured frills adorning its head. It looked like a dinosaur, only ten times cuter than any dinosaur imaginable.

"It's so _cute_!" squealed Bonnie.

"Bonnie, concentrate on the battle, please," Clemont said while pushing his glasses up for a closer look.

"An Amaura, huh?" said Ash, flipping open his Pokédex. His electronic Pokémon encyclopedia, as Clemont had described it to Jade, informed him that Amaura was of the Rock- and Ice-type. "This should be an interesting type match-up. If Amaura's Ice-type, then… Pikachu, straight in there with an Iron Tail!"

Pikachu sprinted up to Amaura at lightning speed, its tail growing brighter and brighter. It spun around when it jumped into the air, and when its tail was flashing so brightly that everyone had to squint, it collided head-on with Amaura, pushing it backwards a few metres and causing it to frown and shake its head after the damage had been dealt.

"Amaura can't dodge easily, due to its heavy body and big frills," commentated Clemont.

"Good hit, Pikachu!" said Ash triumphantly.

"Amaura, use Rock Throw!" Amaura used some kind of energy to lift some large rocks from the ground into the air and hurl them at Pikachu. The rocks must have been flying through the air at about fifty miles per hour, and some of them were fairly jagged. A lot of them cut into Pikachu and caused it to cry out in pain.

"What? Why isn't the Rock Throw stopping? Man, this Pokémon's got some serious stamina!" said Ash, frowning as beads of sweat collected on his forehead. "Pikachu, if you can, try to jump into the air as high as you can!"

Pikachu obeyed and used its small feet to bounce into the air. It managed to land on higher ground, on one of the tall jagged rocks.

"That's a great idea!" said Clemont. "Amaura's not exactly agile, so there's no way it can reach Pikachu. If I know Ash like I think I do, there's only one move that will do the trick…"

"…Thunderbolt!" said Ash at the same time as Clemont. Serena, Bonnie and Jade laughed at how in sync they were.

Pikachu jumped off the jagged rock into the air again, and curled itself up into a ball. "Pikachuuuuu!" It fired a magnificent jolt of electricity at Amaura, who could only stare in shock as it was hit by Arceus knows how many volts.

"That was amazing," Jade found herself saying aloud. Nobody disagreed.

"Amaura is unable to battle! One of Grant's Pokémon is down, leaving one more to go!" announced the battle judge, waving a flag towards Ash.

"Alright!" whooped Ash, leaping into the air and giving Pikachu a well-deserved hug. Then his focus returned to the battle and he and Pikachu awaited their next opponent.

"That was a fantastically powerful Thunderbolt. Ash, you've trained your Pokémon well! But I don't know how much an Electric-type move will help you against… Steelix!"

Everyone gasped when Grant's PokéBall released a huge, steel snake that towered over even the tallest of tall rocks in the arena. Its grin was menacing and its manic red eyes sent a shiver down Jade's spine.

"Steelix, let's start _and _finish this with Earthquake!" ordered Grant, pointing his finger into the air triumphantly.

Steelix's grin grew even wider and it slammed its heavy metal tail into the ground, causing the whole arena to rumble and some of it to crack under the awesome pressure. The cracks spread at an alarming speed, and all of a sudden Pikachu found itself with nowhere to go. It looked around cluelessly and then saw no other choice but to turn around and leap onto Ash's shoulder for safety.

"Pikachu!" Ash said, patting Pikachu on the head reassuringly and frowning as though he'd been cheated. He looked at the floor for a few moments, not in sadness or disappointment but in an unique mixture of concentration and determination. All of a sudden, his furrowed brow and upturned lip turned into an arrogant grin, and he retrieved a PokéBall from his belt.

"Fletchling, it's your turn!" said Ash, releasing a beautiful, small bird with firey red feathers and friendly beady eyes. "I'm counting on you!"

"Fletchling Fletch!" replied Fletchling, its determined expression matching that of its Trainer as it flew high into the air and began to circle Steelix.

"Ash made an excellent choice in choosing Fletchling. Now that Steelix has used what is probably its most powerful move, it can't move anywhere and it's cornered itself into that area – the only part of the arena which isn't damaged. Meanwhile, Fletchling can move freely wherever it wants in the air!" remarked Clemont knowledgeably, his glasses flashing.

Although Ash couldn't hear Clemont from where he was standing, he smiled as he realised what a good choice he had made indeed.

"Okay, Fletchling, use Ember!"

Fletchling shot a series of large fireballs out of its mouth towards Steelix. As Steelix couldn't move, the fireballs hit it all over its body and it grimaced. However, when the attack had finished it shook its head and opened its eyes, with its intimidating smile still plastered on its face.

"You made a good choice, Ash, but you seem to be underestimating Steelix's defense," smiled Grant. "Steelix, use Sandstorm!"

Steelix roared its name at the top of its voice, and from somewhere came a huge whirling sandstorm. It didn't affect the spectators, referee or Trainers, but Fletchling and Steelix were caught in the storm. And everyone had a sinking feeling that the storm wasn't going to help Fletchling fly at all.

"Now, Steelix, Rock Blast!"

Nobody could really see the attack until they saw Fletchling being slammed into a cliff face on the far side of the arena by a huge boulder, bigger than any that dotted the battlefield. Its right wing twitched and its eyes were closed, clearly overwhelmed by the mighty power of Steelix's Rock Blast.

"Fletchling has l…" the referee faltered when he noticed something happening on Fletchling's side of the battlefield. It began to glow and pulsate with a strange, luminescent light. When the light could not get any brighter, it started to fade and it revealed something Jade found most bizarre: Fletchling was… no longer a Fletchling.

Its innocent, beady eyes had become more tough-looking, its wings and body had become larger and more aerodynamic, and its beak and talons had grown significantly. It was still wedged under the rock, but it no longer looked quite so feeble and helpless as it had about a minute ago.

"Alright! Fletchling evolved! I wonder what kind of Pokémon it is now," said Ash, flipping open his Pokédex excitedly. His Pokédex informed him that his Fletchling had now grown into a Fletchinder. "That's awesome! We can definitely still win this fight, Fletchinder!"

"But… Ash…" said Grant, trying not to laugh. "Just because your Fletching evolved doesn't change the fact that your only hope of victory is stuck under a rock."

Just as Grant had finished his sentence, the rock blocking Fletchinder's way shattered into a hundred pieces. Fletchinder's sharp beak was glowing and it flapped its new, stronger wings defiantly.

"Alright, Fletchinder, that was amazing!" said Ash with a grin. "Looks like your Peck has become better. And if your beak is stronger, I can't wait to see what your wings are like! Let's see if you can blow away Steelix's Sandstorm with Gust!"

Fletchinder flew directly into the sandstorm fearlessly, its wings glowing brighter and brighter until it disappeared into the whirling yellow mass. After only a few seconds, the sand began to clear until only a pale mist remained, and everyone could see most of the battlefield. Fletchinder's Gust had worked!

"Now, Fletchinder, use Ember!" said Ash.

"Steelix, counter it with Dragon Breath!"

Out of Fletchinder's mouth came a series of fireballs, larger than the ones it had produced as a Fletchling, and Steelix shot out a shocking purple flame. The flame seemed to extinguish Fletchinder's fireballs with ease. Just as the Dragon Breath was a few metres away from Fletchinder, its fireballs grew so much that they seemed to join together into one long impenetrable wall of fire. Fletchinder eventually gained the upper hand and its fire attack pushed back Steelix's Dragon Breath metre by metre.

"Ash, your Fletchinder seems to have forgotten Ember and learned Flamethrower!" Clemont clarified the situation. "I think you're going to win this one!"

Even though this was good news, Ash was too tense to even reply and he just watched, his eyes growing larger and more animated as the Flamethrower got closer and closer to Steelix's body. Just a few more metres… Steelix was looking panicked now… And… BOOM.

Fletchinder's Flamethrower collided with Steelix with a shocking amount of force, and it plummeted to the ground, making the earth underneath it crumble. Before it began to fall through the destroyed arena, Grant shouted, "Return!" and the referee announced Ash's victory.

"Grant, the Cyllage City Gym Leader, has lost the battle! That means the victory goes to Ash!" cried the referee, waving his flag in Ash's direction to signal the end of the battle.

"Yeahhhh!" shouted Ash, jumping up and down. He was squeezing Pikachu in one arm and Fletchinder in the other. Jade sighed. She'd not seen anyone that happy in such a long time. That kind of joy could only be brought by Pokémon, and again she was struck by the thought that she was very lucky to be experiencing the Pokémon world.

"Well done, Ash!" said Clemont, running over to his victorious friend, and everyone followed. They hugged him in turn, and when it got to Jade's turn, he didn't pull away from the hug until Jade started to think it had lasted a little too long. She found herself blushing when he said to her, "I couldn't have done this without you, Jade. You just came out of nowhere and now you're like my lucky charm!"

Before Jade could respond, everyone's eyes were on Grant. He was holding a black leather case. Ash went over to him and wiped his clammy hands on his jeans.

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, for your perseverance and clever battle tactics, your love for Pokémon and your sharp mind in a pinch, I present to you… The Cliff Badge!"

Grant opened the box. It contained a shiny, brown-and-silver badge that was shaped just like the cliff Jade and Ash had scaled before the battle. Ash received it with a beaming grin on his face and held it high in the air as if the whole world were watching.

"I got the Cliff Badge!" shouted Ash.

"So, Ash, you got your badge," said Serena through a mouthful of lettuce. "Where to next?"

Ash thrust his finger at a point north of Cyllage City on the map. "Geosenge Town! It doesn't have a Gym, but it's a really mysterious town surrounded by these weird stones, and I'm just curious. I dunno, I'm just drawn to it."

"But…" began Serena, looking worried. Everyone looked at her, confused. "Are you sure? Maybe those stones aren't even anything special, just some tourist gimmick to persuade people to go there."

Jade had a funny feeling in her stomach. She was fairly sure that Serena wasn't trying to dissuade the team because it sounded boring. In fact, as confusing as Serena was being, the only emotion that Jade could truly comprehend in her sapphire blue eyes was fear. Not just fear, sheer terror.

"We're going. I don't want to fall out with you again, Serena," said Ash, curling his hands into fists.

"Okay… If you're sure."

Serena was quiet for the rest of the evening as everyone else laughed and chatted. Jade found it easy to have fun with everyone after Ash's wonderful victory, but a feeling of unease gnawed at her through the night.

_What is it about Geosenge Town that sends shivers down my spine? _thought Jade as she laid in bed that night. _I suppose we'll just see what tomorrow brings._

While she was lost in a pool of her own doubt and worry, she failed to notice a pair of red eyes watching her in the corner of her room.

**I hope you enjoyed the battle! I enjoyed writing it. And I hope I ended the chapter with enough mystery, to be perfectly honest a lot of this is improvisation but I do have a good idea of what's going to happen next. I'm going to upload my next chapter by next Sunday, so don't forget to check back next weekend! Thanks guys :)**


	7. Chapter 7

"What the… Get off me!"

Jade flung whatever creature had startled her across the room. However, it landed agilely on its feet and peered at her through curious red eyes. It was blue, black and white. It stood on its hind legs and balanced with its front legs. Even though it had woken her up and startled herscared her to death, Jade had to admit that it looked pretty cool.

"Jade, are you okay?" Ash burst into the room. "I heard you shouting and I th- oh! It's a Riolu!"

"A… Riolu?" Jade blinked.

Ash shook his head sarcastically with a smirk and handed Jade the Pokédex so she could use it. She flipped it open and pointed it at Riolu.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu uses its aura powers to communicate with other Pokémon, and in some rare cases, humans."

"That's pretty cool…" said Jade.

"Speaking of which, Jade, when I was travelling around a region called Sinnoh, I found out that I could communicate with Riolu's evolved form through aura. Maybe if I touch Riolu I'll be able to find out what it wants," suggested Ash.

Jade nodded and Ash held out his hand to Riolu. After looking Ash up and down suspiciously, Riolu closed its eyes and its floppy black ears seemed to levitate. It glowed a pale blue colour and so did Ash. When they both opened their eyes again, Ash eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Riolu wants to travel with you, Jade!" said Ash. "How about it? I think it'd make a great addition to your team!"

Riolu was looking at Jade expectantly, shifting from foot to foot. A welcoming smile spread across Jade's face and she held her arms out. Riolu jumped onto the bed next to her and smiled when Jade petted it.

"Of course you can come with us, Riolu!" said Jade. "In fact, we're on our way to another town…"

Jade suddenly remembered Serena's anxiety about their next destination. She fought back the lingering feeling of unease and smiled.

"Ash, do you think the others will be waiting?"

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot. They're all downstairs. Come on, Jade!" Ash grinned and held out his hand. Jade was glad to take it and she let him lead the way.

"Hello, dears," smiled a friendly-looking, withered old woman in a pink robe. She held a wooden staff that curled into a spiral at the top. "Welcome to Geosenge Town. This is a place of many mysteries, attracting tourists from all over the world. May I take you to our most valued monument, the Eviolite Rock?"

"Sure!" said Ash, punching the air. Jade tutted at his boyish overexcitement that gave her no choice but to smile. "Why's it called that?"

"Let me tell you the story while we walk," replied the woman. They all began to walk, with the old woman walking in front at a surprisingly brisk pace. "Long, long ago, probably around the time that Pokémon came into this world, a series of asteroids crashed into Earth. The bigger asteroids formed cities like Cyllage City and caves around Kalos. They affected other regions too, of course, but their effect on this region is the most curious. The biggest asteroid that hit this town, now called the Eviolite Rock, had a strange property. It the most noticeable as they hurtled towards Earth, for it was not only the biggest, but it was glowing with a peculiar, ethereal light. Embedded into this asteroid are special rocks, no bigger than a PokéBall. We've only just discovered that these peculiar stones allow certain Pokémon to reach a level of evolution called Mega Evolution. When a Trainer's bond with their Pokémon is strong enough, and the Trainer is in possession of the right Mega Stone, the Pokémon may Mega Evolve. Its powers become stronger than you could ever imagine and they even change their form slightly."

"Mega Evolution, huh?" enthused Ash. "How long does it last when they change form?"

"It's only temporary. Normally Mega Evolution is needed for battles, and it lasts until the end of the battle in those cases."

"It sounds so cool. Hey, look at all of these rocks!"

The group had reached a circle of high, pointy rocks that reminded Jade of Stonehenge back home, a prehistoric monument in England. In the centre of the circle of rocks was a bigger rock that glowed with a silvery blue light. Even from a distance, she could see that many smaller rocks were stuck in it. Jade felt slightly dizzy when she got close to the rocks, but she wanted to get even closer to them. She felt like they were calling her. Whatever their tour guide was saying, Jade had no idea since her voice was muffled and distant, but Jade edged closer and closer to the tallest rock in the centre. She placed the palm of her hand against the smooth stone and her eyes widened with shock.

A blurry image of a dark-haired man in a lab coat assaulted her mind. Jade knew she'd seen him before, and rather than hallucinating, there was something solid about this experience that made her think it must be a memory.

"_You're known in your school for your intelligence, Jade, and that's why I chose you as my… lab rat. Now, I'm aware you can't move but that's the sedation kicking in. When you wake up, you'll be in a very interesting place indeed, a place that I know very well…"_

Jade was brought back to the present when a rough hand dragged her away from the stone. She sat back on the cool grass, panting and trying to get a bearing on her surroundings.

"Jade? What on earth happened? You just zoned out!" said Ash, bending down in front of her and holding her by the arms. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm okay. Sorry about that," replied Jade, embarrassed. She blinked and her breathing started to return to normal. She accepted Ash's hand when he offered to help her up and was grateful that nobody asked any questions. Even she was still trying to figure out what just happened.

"Anyway, I've told you everything you need to know about Mega Evolution, and you've seen some of the mysterious stones," said the old lady, clasping her hands together. "Now I have a gift for you, young lady."

She was looking at Jade through her round, thick-rimmed spectacles. She reached into her robe and pulled out a stone on the end of a string cord. Jade took it gratefully and, upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a perfectly round shape and it shone with an eerie glow similar to the one coming from the Eviolite Rock. It was a golden yellow with intertwining red and blue stripes in the middle.

"Why did you give me this?" asked Jade, but she looked up to see that the old woman had disappeared.

"Well, she was weird," remarked Ash, scratching the back of his head. Then a low, faint rumble could be heard. "Oh, damn, I'm hungry!"

That night, Ash, Pikachu, Jade and Riolu were the only ones still up. Everyone else had gone to bed and they were sitting around the campfire.

"It's good to see that Serena's being nice to you now," said Ash with a subtle smile. "She was only worrying about me. She's known me since we were kids, when we were in summer camp together, and she witnessed a horrible event back then. Look, I can see myself telling you everything eventually anyway so I might as well just come out with it – when I was about six years old, my dad just disappeared."

"Disappeared?" repeated Jade in disbelief. "Where to?"

"Nobody knows. Thing is, he was an esteemed researcher. He wasn't really interested in Pokémon, though. His interest was other worlds, like parallel dimensions and stuff like that. My only guess is that one day he found the answers he was looking for and he took off to some other place."

A wave of sympathy washed over Jade and as she was hearing Ash's dreadful story, she took his hand in hers. His large brown eyes met hers gratefully and he carried on.

"So yeah, since you came from another world, Serena assumed you were gonna hurt me like my dad did."

Jade's stomach lurched. Her memory of how she'd got to this world was foggy – what if she was some kind of weapon? What if she'd been sent to hurt Ash? But then, as clear and pure as a bright summer's day, she spoke the truth before she even realised what the truth was:

"I care about you too much to hurt you."

A silence ensued between them as Ash squeezed her hand in return, as if to say 'thank you'. After a few minutes, though, Ash began to speak again with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"After that absolute coward of a man deserted me and my mum, I've struggled to believe anyone when they've said that they care about me. My dad was supposed to love us but then he deserted us, and since then the strongest emotion I've felt has been hatred. I hate him so much, but my God, Jade, ever since you walked into this world you've taught me every day that love… I mean, friendship… most certainly can be stronger than hate."

Jade's heart soared when she heard Ash's words. She'd been bullied in her own world and misunderstood by her pressurising parents, but now she was finding out that she was not alone in this world.

_This world is where I'm meant to be, _she thought, smiling. Just as she was about to get lost in the sweetness of what had been said between them, she noticed a harsh brightness by her side.

"Riolu! What?"

"Jade, your Riolu is evolving! They evolve with happiness!" Ash grinned and put his arm around her shoulder as they watched the magnificent spectacle. They watched Riolu grow and shrink, grow and shrink, several times until its figure became more solid and the glowing subsided.

"Riolu has officially evolved into a Lucario!" cheered Ash. "I wonder why Riolu evolved so quickly, though."

To satisfy his own curiosity, Ash reached a hand up to touch Lucario and they both glowed pale blue while Ash read Lucario's aura.

He turned to Jade and said, "Riolu evolves when it's happy. And Lucario says that it's so happy to see true friendship. Its old Trainer was cold and had no friends, and he treated all of his Pokémon abusively. So Lucario's relieved to have finally met a kind, happy Trainer… And a beautiful one at that." Ash winked.

"Oh, stop it!" said Jade, pushing him away playfully. But she wasn't one hundred percent sure that she wanted him to stop flattering her.

Later that night, after a couple of hours of getting used to Lucario and bantering, the duo and their beloved Pokémon went to their separate rooms. And they both fell asleep happier and feeling more loved than they had ever been.

That is, until everything that Jade knew about the Pokémon World vanished overnight.


End file.
